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The Matrix Comics Volume 1
The Matrix Comics Volume 1 or just The Matrix Comics is a printed collection of eleven comics and one short story set in the Matrix universe, all of which had been published online on The Matrix official website. Edited by Spencer Lamm with Sharon Bray as assistant editor, it was published in 2003 by Burlyman Entertainment and came to 160 pages. Introduction :The Matrix comics have, up until now, been exclusively available online at TheMatrix.com. At the site, we're into our third series. The dozen stories in this volume collect four from each series, spanning nearly five years. Considering some were written before the first film was even released, it is about time for them to be in print and on shelves. The emails asking us to do just this haven't hurt, either. :It was Andy and Larry who suggested we do comics, back in the very first days. Not adaptations, to be clear, but new stories. We figured, "Why create adaptations when the film already tells that particular story? Why be redundant?" Years forward, of course, the brothers would take this to new heights, crisscrossing the plots of the game ENTER THE MATRIX, the anime series THE ANIMATRIX, and yes, the comics, too, with the films themselves. At the core, Larry and Andy love storytelling, in any form. On comics specifically, they happen to be big fans going back many years, well before they themselves became professional comic book writers (or film directors, for that matter). You need look no farther than their story, BITS AND PIECES OF INFORMATION, here in this book, and then consider how this was first written in 1998 (and illustrated by Geof Darrow, the trilogy's key conceptual designer, by no small coincidence). :So from day one, as fans of comics, we began gathering stories set in the world of THE MATRIX. It was a heady time, back before the first film came out. We were contacting writers and artists for a film no one had seen or even heard of. Not everyone we approached was immediately receptive. However, those that connected with the script and storyboards saw the potential of what was coming on screen, and committed to the project. :We were and continue to be very fortunate, as the writers and artists that accepted our invitation have consistently brought a deep passion and understanding, each embracing the material, adding their own unique perspective. As the sequels got under way, we never stopped receiving exceptional material from an ever larger pool of consummate professionals. For proof of this, simply begin turning the pages. :This long overdue collection also happens to be the debut of BURLYMAN ENTERTAINMENT, a new company from the Brothers Wachowski. THE BURLYMAN was the first screenplay Larry and Andy developed for the now defunct Four Corners Productions. Both are long-time devotees of the wrestling scenario and had hoped to revive the genre in the same fresh way they breathed new life into action movies with THE MATRIX films. :I asked them if they thought the Coen Brothers had perhaps referenced their script in the film BARTON FINK. Larry hadn't seen it. (He said he didn't like subtitled movies. I told him it wasn't subtitled and then he amended that he didn't like movies that sounded like they were subtitled either). Andy had seen it but his only comment was, "Coulda' been a good movie if they put some wrestlin' in it." :As always, it remains a pleasure; enjoy what follows. :Spencer Lamm :October, 2003 Stories See also *The Matrix Comics *''The Matrix Comics Volume 2'' *The Matrix Comics Series 1 *The Matrix Comics Series 2 *The Matrix Comics Series 3 References Volume 1 Category:The Matrix Comics Volume 1